Department of Criminal Justice
- Psychology
- Army ROTC
- Foreign Languages and Literatures
- Sociology
- Prelaw Advising
- Department of Political Science
- School of Communication
- Department of Criminal Justice
- Women's & Gender Studies
- Center for Police Practice, Policy and Research
- Interdisciplinary Studies
- Department of History
- Philosophy and Religious Studies
- Department of English
Dr. Margaret Pate
Associate Professor of Criminal Justice
Associate Director - Office of Undergraduate Research and Scholarship (OURS)
Contact
Office: CHBS Building, Room 5403
Phone: 540-831-6339
E-Mail: mpate1@radford.edu
Background
- Ph.D., University of Florida
- B.A., B.S., M.S., Niagara University
Dr. Pate joined the Radford University faculty in 2014.
Interests
Dr. Pate has several distinct areas of research. One of Dr. Pate's research interests include the decision-making process that begins with the apprehension of a suspect all the way to conviction for the various actors in the criminal justice system, including law enforcement, attorneys, and jurors, specifically decisions about evidence and perceptions of guilt. Dr. Pate also conducts research on various teaching practices and the influence of these practices on student engagement and academic performance. Finally, Dr. Pate is also interested in issues of substance use among undergraduate students, including both the causes and consequences of such use.
Recent Professional Activities
Dr. Pate presented findings from two recent research projects on jurors’ use and comprehension of genetic evidence in a criminal trial at the American Society of Criminology conference in Philadelphia in November 2017. Dr. Pate has also recently published articles in each of her research areas, in journals such as Criminal Justice and Behavior, Journal of Criminal Justice Education, and The Social Science Journal.